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The Financial Times Endorses Obama
The premier international financial daily newspaper, The Financial Times, has endorsed Barack Obama. Some excerpts: (link below)
"After Tuesday’s vote, the Democrats should move quickly to affirm Mr Obama’s nomination. That is not just because his lead in elected delegates is already unassailable and the contest should be brought to a swift conclusion. It is also because he is, in fact, the better candidate."
"Mr Obama has fought a brilliant campaign, out-organising his opponent, raising more money, and convincing undecided Democrats as well as the country at large that he was more likeable, more straightforward and more worthy of trust."
"On form, he is a spell-binding orator and holds arena-sized audiences in thrall. He is given to airy exhortations, it is true, but genuinely seeks consensus and has cross-party appeal.
Mrs Clinton’s campaign, in contrast, has been a shambles. She and her team expected to have it all sewn up long ago; they made no plans for a long struggle, ran short of money and had to reorganise on the run.
Her speaking style is pedestrian, when it is not actually grating. Those who dislike her tend to do so with a passion: her disapproval ratings started high and after months of campaigning are climbing still. It is a tribute to her tenacity and to the loyalty she commands in the party that her fate was not sealed weeks ago.
How much the way that a campaign is run tells you about a candidate’s fitness to be president is debatable – but it does tell you something, especially if the candidate with the misfiring strategy is running on a claim of management expertise."
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/19c88b7c-0f00-11dd-9646-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
Comments (31)
I guess they didn't get the memo on the potentially world-ending ramifications of adjusting the capital gains tax.
April 21, 2008 2:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
What?! Boycott them limeys! From now on English Muffins shall be called "Freedom Muffins" and English Bulldogs will be called "Wrinkled up genetic monstrosoties"!
Har har. I am just joking. I love the British, and this endorsement displays it quite well. In all respects, the FT should be against Obama due to his stance on raising capital gains tax, but unlike the greedy geckos who scurry around south of Brooklyn Bridge, they understand that being a good manager, a good CEO, sometimes calls for heavy cost-cutting and financial prudence.
April 21, 2008 5:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Unlike the ideological Wall Street Journal, the FT is a sensible paper with a thorough grounding in mainstream economics. I'm sure its editors realize that further tax cuts financed by an ever-increasing mountain of debt will eventually destabilize the US economy (or have already), causing economic hardship around the world.
And isn't it curious that numerous tax breaks intended to stimulate investment have coincided so nicely with our recent series of credit-based asset bubbles?
April 21, 2008 10:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think they, like most of the rest of the world, are aware that the upside of the US getting it's shit together and vanquishing the pervasive sense of malaise hanging over it with some form of common purpose by far outweighs any of the policy 'negatives' (in their view) that might ensue from a leftish Obama presidency.
April 21, 2008 11:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bunch of brits, who gives a flip.
April 21, 2008 9:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Louisville is so reactionary he's still fighting the war for independence.
April 21, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
True. I was surprised he wasn't for the Brits, though.
April 21, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Note "Louisville" is derived from french - He obviously took their side in the 100 years war, and hasn't taken the blinders off since.
April 21, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
This certainly is more significant than Elton John's endorsement.
April 21, 2008 11:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Bunch of brits, who gives a flip."
Is that how Hillary is going to heal the rift between America and the world, and restore America's image abroad?
April 21, 2008 9:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
They are british........we've no rifts with them
April 21, 2008 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yet...
April 21, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Yet" is *now*.
This is from a story at the Washington Post on a BBC survey of world opinion of the U.S. that was conducted about a year ago -
------ Although Prime Minister Tony Blair has been Bush's chief foreign ally in the Iraq war, British views of U.S. policies were particularly negative. Fifty-seven percent of Britons surveyed said the United States plays a mainly negative role in the world; 33 percent said the U.S. influence was mainly positive, down three percentage points from last year.
Eighty-one percent of Britons opposed U.S. actions in Iraq, while 72 percent said the U.S. military presence in the Middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents. Just 14 percent of Britons said the United States was a "stabilizing force" in the region. -------
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/22/AR2007012201300_pf.html
April 21, 2008 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
FT can join the club of 90% of major newspapers in this country:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_endorsements_in_the_United_States_presidential_primaries,_2008
Barack Obama
Main article: List of Barack Obama presidential campaign endorsements
Complete list at List of Barack Obama newspaper endorsements
* Albuquerque Journal newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico[22]
* Albuquerque Tribune newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico[23]
* Ames Iowa State Daily newspaper in Ames, Iowa[24] [25]
* The Arizona Republic newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona[26]
* The Aspen Times newspaper in Aspen, Colorado[27]
* AsianWeek newspaper[28]
* Atlanta Daily World newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia[29]
* Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia[30]
* Austin American Statesman[31]
* The Baltimore Sun newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland [32]
* Belleville News-Democrat newspaper in Belleville, Illinois[33]
* The Bergen County Record newspaper in Hackensack, New Jersey[34]
* The Birmingham News newspaper in Birmingham, Alabama[35]
* Black Voice News newspaper[36]
* The Boston Bay State Banner newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts[37]
* Boston Globe newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts[38]
* The Boston Phoenix newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts[39]
* Chicago Defender newspaper in Chicago, Illinois[40]
* Chicago Sun Times newspaper in Chicago, Illinois[41]
* Chicago Tribune newspaper in Chicago, Illinois[42]
* Chico News & Review newspaper in Chico, California[43]
* Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio [44]
* Colorado Springs Independent newspaper in Colorado Springs, Colorado[45]
* The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Washington [46]
* Connecticut Post newspaper in Bridgeport, Connecticut[47]
* Contra Costa Times newspaper in Walnut Creek, California[48]
* Corpus Christi Caller-Times newspaper in Corpus Christi, Texas[49]
* Daily Herald newspaper in Arlington Heights, Illinois[50]
* The Daily News Tribune newspaper in Waltham, Massachusetts[51]
* The Daily Star newspaper in Oneonta, New York[52]
* Dallas Morning News newspaper in Dallas, Texas[53][54]
* The Day newspaper in New London, Connecticut[55]
* The Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs, California[56]
* El Latino, Spanish-language newspaper in Des Moines, Iowa[57][58]
* El Paso Times newspaper in El Paso, Texas[59]
* Elko Daily Free Press newspaper in Elko, Nevada[60]
* Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper in Fort Worth, Texas[61]
* The Free Lance-Star newspaper in Fredericksburg, Virginia[62]
* Fresno Bee newspaper in Fresno, California[63]
* The Gainesville Sun newspaper in Gainesville, Florida[64]
* Gay City News LGBT newspaper in New York City[65]
* The Greenville News newspaper in Greenville, South Carolina[66]
* Hobbs News-Sun newspaper in Hobbs, New Mexico[22]
* The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper in Honolulu, Hawaii[67]
* Houston Chronicle newspaper in Houston, Texas[68]
* Hoy Spanish-language newspaper in Chicago, Illinois[69]
* Inland Valley Daily Bulletin newspaper in Pomona Valley[70]
* Iowa City Daily Iowan newspaper in Iowa City, Iowa[25]
* Iowa City Press-Citizen newspaper in Iowa City, Iowa[25]
* Jewish News of Greater Phoenix newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona[71]
* Joplin Globe newspaper in Joplin, Missouri[72]
* Juneau Empire newspaper in Juneau, Alaska[73]
* Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee[74]
* Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper in Las Vegas, Nevada[75]
* El Latino, Spanish-language newspaper in Des Moines, Iowa[76][77]
* The Littleton Courier newspaper in Littleton, Maine[78]
* Little India magazine[79]
* Logan Herald-Observer newspaper in Logan, Iowa[25]
* Los Alamos Monitor newspaper in Los Alamos County, New Mexico[80]
* Los Angeles Daily News newspaper in Los Angeles, California[81]
* Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper in Los Angeles, California[82]
* Los Angeles Times newspaper in Los Angeles, California[83]
* Los Angeles Wave newspaper in Los Angeles, California[84]
* Marin Independent Journal newspaper in Marin County, California[85]
* Memphis Tri-State Defender newspaper in Memphis, Tennessee[86]
* Merced Sun-Star newspaper in Merced, California[87]
* Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper in Milwaukee, Wisconsin[88]
* Minnesota Daily newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota[89]
* The Modesto Bee newspaper in Modesto, California [90]
* The Morning Call newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania[91]
* Mundo Latino, Spanish language newspaper in Sioux City, Iowa[92]
* The Nashua Telegraph newspaper in Nashua, New Hampshire[93]
* Native American Times newspaper[94]
* New Haven Register newspaper in New Haven, Connecticut [95]
* The New York Observer newspaper in New York City[96]
* New York Post newspaper in New York, New York[97]
* North Bay Bohemian newspaper in North Bay, California[98]
* North Coast Journal newspaper in Humboldt County, California[99]
* Norwich Bulletin newspaper in Norwich, Connecticut[100]
* The Oakland Tribune newspaper in Oakland, California[101]
* La Opinión Spanish language newspaper in Los Angeles, California[102]
* The Orange County Register newspaper in Santa Ana, California[103]
* The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Oregon[104]
* Ottumwa Courier newspaper in Ottumwa, Iowa[105]
* Pacific Sun newspaper in Marin County, California[106]
* The Palm Beach Post newspaper in Palm Beach County, Florida[107]
* Paradise Post newspaper in Paradise, California[108]
* Pasadena Star-News newspaper in Pasadena, California[109]
* Pensacola News Journal newspaper in Pensacola, Florida[110]
* Peoria Journal Star newspaper in Peoria, Illinois[111]
* Philadelphia Daily News, newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[112]
* The Philadelphia Inquirer, newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[113]
* Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[114]
* The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio[115]
* Portland Press Herald newspaper in Portland, Maine[116]
* The Portsmouth Herald newspaper in Portsmouth, New Hampshire[117]
* The Press Democrat newspaper in Santa Rosa, California[118]
* The Press-Enterprise newspaper in Inland Empire, California[119]
* The Record newspaper in Stockton, California[120]
* Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper in Reno, Nevada[121]
* Rochester City Newspaper newspaper in Rochester, New York[122]
* The Rock Hill Herald newspaper in Rock Hill, South Carolina[123]
* The Rockford Register Star newspaper in Rockford, Illinois[124]
* Sacramento Bee newspaper in Sacramento, California[125]
* San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper in San Francisco, California[126]
* San Francisco Chronicle newspaper in San Francisco, California[127]
* San Jose Mercury News newspaper in San Jose, California[128]
* Santa Barbara Independent newspaper in Santa Barbara, California[129]
* Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper in Santa Cruz, California[130]
* Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper in Santa Fe, New Mexico[131]
* Sacramento News & Review newspaper in Sacramento, California[132]
* San Antonio Express-News newspaper in San Antonio, Texas[133]
* San Diego CityBeat newspaper in San Diego, California[134]
* San Francisco Bay View newspaper in San Francisco, California[135]
* Santa Fe Reporter newspaper in Santa Fe, New Mexico[136]
* SC Black News newspaper in South Carolina[137]
* Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper in Seattle, Washington[138]
* The Seattle Times newspaper in Seattle, Washington[139]
* Selma Times-Journal newspaper in Selma, Alabama[140]
* Sioux City Journal newspaper in Sioux City, Iowa[141]
* South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Florida[142]
* Southern Voice LGBT newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia[143]
* The Springfield Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts[144]
* St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri[145]
* St. Petersburg Times newspaper in St. Petersburg, Florida[146]
* The Star-Ledger newspaper in Newark, New Jersey [147]
* The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina[148]
* The Stranger newspaper in Seattle, Washington[149]
* The Tampa Tribune newspaper in Tampa Bay, Florida[150]
* TimesDaily newspaper in Florence, Alabama[151]
* Times-Standard newspaper in Eureka, California[152]
* The Times-Tribune newspaper in Scranton, Pennsylvania[153]
* The Toledo Blade newspaper in Toledo, Ohio[154]
* The Trenton Times newspaper in Trenton, New Jersey[155]
* Tuscaloosa News newspaper in Tuscaloosa, Alabama[156]
* Valley News newspaper in Lebanon, New Hampshire[157]
* Woodbine Twiner newspaper in Woodbine, Iowa[158]
April 21, 2008 9:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Most of those same newspapers printed this as well
http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/07/25/dewey_wins.jpg
April 21, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
If anyone can doctor this classic photo to say "Clinton Beats Obama" I would love a copy! Maybe you could superimpose Obama's face over Truman's, too.
April 21, 2008 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
thanks for the list. I like FT, it's always better newspaper WSJ even before Murdock.
April 21, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sweetness.
Especially proud of my hometown newspaper. It denotes a true shift back to it's cultural identity of laid-backness.
April 21, 2008 10:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Where's your hometown, Quasar?? "...cultural identity of laid-backness..." sounds like where I live!
April 21, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Louis, Louis, Louis...only the Chicago paper he's holding up printed that headline. You can't just make stuff like this up and hope to maintain your continuing level of high respect and credibility here.
April 21, 2008 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
come on Hussy , who are you going to believe ...me or your own eyes. come on now.
April 21, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
No one should believe anything you, Otto F, gotalife or any of the other hit-and-run, one-liners around here have to say:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Defeats_Truman
One paper, in the picture. Any other revisions of history to offer us? Did the South actually win?
April 21, 2008 5:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
That was sheer genius as usual. Maybe you should create a separate post for it. How do you do it!
April 21, 2008 10:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was a long time reader of the Financial Times when living in Germany. It's a fine paper. That a paper so friendly to international business is endorsing Obama is important news, and thanks for posting.
April 21, 2008 1:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
One clear indicator that Barrack will be a better leader than either Hillary or McCain are the obvious differences in how they've run their campaigns. Barrack's campaign is flush with money based on endless small donors (money that comes from 'the people') while Clinton, who's relied more on the conventional democratic monied interests, is in big time debt; and McCain can't seem to get sufficient enthusiasm from his base to raise much cash at all.
Also, Clinton's campaign has been plagued with squabbling and high profile firings and made huge blunders in having no post Super Tuesday strategy in most states, while Barrack's army of volunteers and paid staffers are managing one of the most efficient, effective campaign operations in history. What does this say about how they'd select, lead and motivate a White House staff? I think it speaks volumes.
Barrack's leadership style nurtures flexible, nimble teams with shared and clearly understood objectives, better equipped to achieve common goals. Hillary’s campaign has been characterized by the more traditional, top down leadership style where only a close circle have access and make decisions. It's a closed, bureaucratic approach most private sector organizations now see as less evolved and effective than flatter, more matrixed organizations, where a clearly communicated set of principles and objectives guide action vs. the orders and mandates of a few insiders.
In this and many other ways, Hillary represents the past, and Barrack represents the future. McCain is so far behind the curve in this discussion, his approach can hardly be mentioned.
Barrack will likely succeed because history tells us, at some point, the past must yield to the future. It's inevitable. And I think the time for this change is now. We shall see.
Obama '08
‘Ann’
April 21, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
That was quite the glowing endorsement of Barack Obama, and a delightfully dead-on skewering of Hillary Clinton. Those Brits have such a way with words...
April 21, 2008 2:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Favorite line:
"Her speaking style is pedestrian, when it is not actually grating."
April 21, 2008 3:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, that British gift for understatement.
April 21, 2008 5:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
That was sheer genius as usual. Could I suggest a separate post? How do you do it!
April 21, 2008 10:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
How much the way that a campaign is run tells you about a candidate’s fitness to be president is debatable – but it does tell you something, especially if the candidate with the misfiring strategy is running on a claim of management expertise."
My favorite line.
The FT's status as an intelligent mainstream conservative business paper aimed at the world's financial elite is entirely consistent with a hope to see sanity restored to U.S. fiscal and foreign policy.
April 21, 2008 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
English blood runs hot. Hail Brittania!
April 21, 2008 11:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
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